Posts Tagged ‘ Winter Driving ’

Ministry staff and our highway maintenance contractors work around the clock to keep travellers on BC highways moving safely, but sometimes extreme weather (or other emergency conditions) create special circumstances that can pose challenges for motorists. When that happens we place a specific travel advisory on DriveBC to help bring attention to the event and help travellers make better plans based on those conditions. We take a number of factors into consideration when we post a travel advisory, such...

As winter weather begins to make its way across BC, impacting our driving conditions with snow, ice, rain, fog, etc., it’s always best to be prepared with a safety plan. And those plans are ready for winter. The Shift into Winter resource website (for all your “ready for winter driving” needs) has released a new document called, Winterizing Your Safety Plan: Information for Commercial Carriers. This is great information to know and follow up on because, as an employer...

It’s not even “officially” winter yet but we’re certainly already getting hit by it. With the Shift into Winter safety campaign in full swing, we’ve noticed a lot more activity on some of our websites lately as people get ready for the ice, snow and earlier night times. We’ve collected your top 5 winter resources, based on visit popularity, to provide you a bit of a one stop shop. Passenger Vehicle – Tire and Chain Requirements What’s the legal...

Sure, we know what you’re thinking… “Of course I know how to dress myself!” But you won’t believe how often ministry staff come across drivers severely underdressed (some even wearing flip flops!), stranded on the side of the road with a broken down vehicle or struggling to chain up during a snow storm. Don’t let the sanctuary of your vehicle fool you. Yes, vehicles are toasty and warm when they’re running – some even have heated seats and steering...

We get questions about winter tires all the time. Well, not all the time – mostly in October when winter tire regulations go into effect on most BC highways until the end of March. Drivers want to know which tires are legally considered winter tires, and which tires provide maximum performance in cold, snow and ice. They also want to know how their vehicle is already equipped, so they can better decide if they need new tires. So, we...

“I was in a hurry.” That was the excuse a Vancouver Island driver gave when one of our CVSE officers stopped him on the Malahat for driving with a mere “porthole” of snow cleared from his windshield. The officer issued the driver a $368 fine and didn’t let him continue driving without clearing all the snow off his vehicle. When we tweeted the photo, many of you were shocked: What’s worse, this isn’t just a one-off occurrence. Surrey RCMP...

﻿ Having trouble viewing this video in your browser? Try watching it directly on our YouTube channel. The Coquihalla (BC Highway 5 from Hope to Merritt) is the province’s busiest mountain pass. At more than 1,200 metres in elevation, it’s also one of the routes hit hardest by heavy snowfall and other winter conditions. Fear not… we have a plan, and a team of professionals to execute what we call: The Coquihalla Snowshed Protocol. When the snow flies, the...

We’ve heard from a few folks recently asking how they can travel the Coquihalla safely during the winter. Apart from our usual recommendations for proper tires, checking DriveBC, keeping a full tank of gas and driving to conditions, we thought we could help travellers make better decisions around their travel by identifying some of the winter conditions found on the Coquihalla and explaining how they might impact travel. So, we asked our Weather Services Specialist, Simon Walker (who worked...